Manage your subscription

I'm blinking fine

8 May 1999

An artificial eyelid that blinks in a natural and convincing way has been
fitted to a patient who lost an eye and eyelid after surgery to remove a tumour
(The Lancet, vol 353, p 1493). The latex device is triggered by a muscle signal
from an implant in the patient’s remaining eyelid and is powered by a tiny
battery hidden behind the glass eye. A tiny motor opens the lid and the elastic
properties of the latex close it again. Some 300 000 test blinks carried out at
the Humboldt University in Berlin, where it was developed, proved the device
could stand up to wear and tear. Slow-motion video has revealed good
synchronisation between eyelids.